Winter Issue: Trust

When we started planning this latest issue TRUST months ago, we couldn’t have predicted how relevant that term would be this week.

Over the last few days, the #MeToo phenomenon — women bravely sharing stories of sexual harassment and assault in social media — has been both heartening and deeply disturbing. Our feeds have been filled with friends recounting — many for the very first time — incidents from childhood, from college, from adulthood. From belittling innuendo, to a confusing, inappropriate touch (did that really just happen?), to domestic abuse, and rape, one after another, the stories are pouring out of us.

My heart breaks a little with each post.

Yet, there is strength in numbers and strength in the truth. We are compelled to share and, as women with experience, we trust each other to listen and hold those words sacred.

The warm community of TueNighters, whether online or at our live events, continues to be a saving grace for many of us, a place to trust, commiserate, clutch our bellies in laughter and offer a thumbs up when we need it. Grouse together on the “Calgon Take Me The Fuck Away” days, high five on the days when things go our way. We’ve been there, done that, and we’re here for each other.

In this edition of TueNight, we learn we can’t always trust in our institutions, as Sally Kohn points out; our memory, says Issa Mas; or our parents. Dori Fern and Crystal Durant both tackle troublesome fathers. But we can learn from our hard-earned, 40+ years experience and create a brand new life as Jenny Douglas shows us, or even trust a stranger to love us says Lu Chekowsky.